After breaking into Impel Down, Shiki easily reached Level 1, the Crimson Hell.
Looking at the forest of Bladed Trees and the Needle Grass, Shiki felt a strange sense of familiarity.
He was, after all, revisiting his old prison.
Though he had been imprisoned on Level 6, the Infinite Hell, the most dangerous part of his escape had been the Crimson Hell on Level 1.
It was the final barrier, and nearly every guard in the prison had gathered there to stop him.
"Jihahaha!" Shiki let out a wicked laugh.
"It feels so good to be back! Come on, you worthless dogs of the Crimson Hell! Follow me, and let's raise some hell!"
Before he finished speaking, Shiki's figure flashed, appearing before one of the cells.
Since the inmates of the Crimson Hell were mostly petty criminals and non-Devil Fruit users, their cells weren't lined with Seastone.
"Hey, who are you, old man?"
As Shiki arrived, several inmates squatting in the cell looked up, staring at him with fierce expressions.
"Jihahaha, let the chaos begin!"
Shiki ignored them and decisively unleashed the power of his Float-Float Fruit, shouting coldly.
"Lion's Threat: Earth Bind!"
Rumble—
With a sudden tremor, every cell without Seastone bars twisted and deformed in an instant.
The prisoners inside were suddenly exposed, staring at the uninvited guest with wide-eyed shock.
"Jihahaha, the gates are open! You can either escape or wait here to die. The choice is yours!"
After a brief glance at the stunned inmates, Shiki headed straight for the entrance to Level 2, the Wild Beast Hell, moving with the confidence of someone who knew the layout.
His goal wasn't to recruit these weaklings; it was to use them to create a diversion and tie up the prison guards.
"Huh?"
As he flew towards the gate to Level 2, Shiki suddenly felt something was wrong.
He turned to look back at the distorted cells and saw that none of the criminals had moved.
They were still squatting there, staring at him in astonishment.
He was stunned for a moment before cursing angrily, "You bunch of useless fools! The prison is open, run for your lives!"
As soon as he finished, a criminal in one of the cells stood up and shouted back.
"Are you insane?! Fix the cells! Do you want to get us all killed?"
"Guards! Over here! Someone's trying to start a prison break!"
"Quick, catch that old man!"
"Don't move! If we step out of our cells, it's a jailbreak! If the Fleet Admiral finds out, he'll have us executed for sure!"
?????
A series of question marks flooded Shiki's mind, and his facial muscles began to twitch.
What was wrong with these prisoners? Did they plan on growing old and die here?
"Are you all... alright?"
After a brief daze, Shiki turned back to the inmates and said angrily, "I am saving—"
"Who asked you to save us, you bastard?!" a prisoner interrupted.
"Haven't you heard about the kill order the Fleet Admiral issued in the East Blue? We can survive in the Crimson Hell, but if we escape, we'll definitely be executed!"
Hearing this, Shiki's facial muscles twitched again.
The Fleet Admiral's deterrent power was immense!
Even the prisoners here were terrified of him.
Did that mean his plan to cause a riot was…
At that thought, Shiki didn't dare delay any longer.
He turned and rushed toward the gate to the Beast Hell.
Just as he was about to force his way through, the heavy, sealed door in front of him suddenly swung open on its own.
"A perfect opportunity!"
Not expecting the gate to open, Shiki rushed through without hesitation.
"Hm?"
The moment he entered Level 2, Shiki's pupils constricted.
The gate was open, but there wasn't a single guard in sight.
It felt as if someone was secretly helping him, which put him on high alert.
"Is this a trap?"
After scanning his surroundings, Shiki looked up at the Den Den Mushi mounted beside the gate.
A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he kicked out a blade of air, slicing the monitoring snail in half.
At that moment, the ground began to shake, and roars echoed from deeper within the level.
Soon, a tide of ferocious beasts rushed toward him, baring their fangs.
Seeing this, Shiki dismissed his fears of a trap.
He used his Float-Float Fruit ability to fly over the monsters' heads, heading straight for Level 3, the Hunger Hell.
Just like before, Shiki passed through the Hunger Hell unimpeded and successfully entered Level 4, the Blazing Hell.
"If I remember correctly, the warden's office is on this floor!"
Now in the Blazing Hell, Shiki no longer dared to be careless.
He was certain the Marines and Impel Down had seen through his plan.
The fact that he had passed through three levels without resistance was proof enough.
There had to be a large number of guards lying in ambush here—perhaps even an admiral.
However, he was overthinking it.
The Blazing Hell was completely silent.
There wasn't a single person in sight, let alone a jailer.
"Are they planning to just let me walk to the sixth floor?" Shiki blinked, then called out tentatively.
"Don't hide, I've already sensed you! Whether this is a trap or an ambush, it doesn't matter. I'm getting to the sixth floor today!"
"I escaped from here once, do you think you can stop me now?"
After shouting, Shiki didn't wait for a response and flew directly toward the gate to Level 5, the Freezing Hell.
When he reached it, the tightly sealed gate opened for him once again.
"How dare you look down on me!"
Frustrated that his opponents refused to show themselves, Shiki was overwhelmed.
He turned back the way he came and roared, "Magellan, get out here!"
As he finished speaking, a crackle of noise came from the Den Den Mushi throughout the Blazing Hell.
Then, a lazy voice echoed from all directions.
"Moooshi moshi~"
"Hey, can you hear me, Shiki?"
"Ooh, how scary. You actually made it all the way to the fourth floor. You truly live up to your name as a legendary pirate."
"Moshi moshi, can you hear me, Shiki?"!
!!!!!
Listening to the lazy voice, Shiki nearly burst with anger.
He widened his eyes and roared, "I can hear you! Now get Magellan out here!"
"Magellan can't see you right now. He's been... occupied... for three hours. If you want to see him, you'll have to come to the warden's office yourself!"
"Of course, you can also just keep going."
"Fleet Admiral Orion said that if you entered Impel Down, we were to let you pass all the way to Level 6."
Upon hearing this, Shiki was thrown into disarray.
He was here for a prison break, not to be looked down on like this!
"Don't worry, there are no ambushes on the sixth floor either. The Fleet Admiral wants to see how you plan to escape from there. If you can successfully break out with the prisoners from Level 6, he will grant you your freedom!"
"Jihahaha, it seems your Fleet Admiral has a lot of time on his hands!"
"Fine, I'll play this game!"
Realizing this was a challenge set for him, Shiki wasted no more time.
He flew into the Freezing Hell and soon arrived at the entrance to Level 6, the Infinite Hell.
As the heavy, decaying Seastone door slowly opened, the dark abyss of the final level came into view.
In the darkness, pairs of crimson eyes snapped open, all focused on the gate.
"Welcome back to the Infinite Hell, Golden Lion Shiki."
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